A CD-ROM containing a computer program listing appendix has been submitted and is herein incorporated by reference. The CD-ROM contains a single ASCII text file named xe2x80x9cKGM-JF.txtxe2x80x9d, (IBM-PC compatibility) created on Dec. 17, 2001, 363 KB in size.
A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material which is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.
The present invention is directed to a method of transmitting xe2x80x9ctriggering dataxe2x80x9d over a network to cause video and/or audio information data on a Internet Web Page
The Internet is a conglomeration of computer networks that are linked together. Each network of the Internet may have one or more servers, and an operating system that may be different from that of others in the Internet. To link one network to another, and in order to overcome these operating differences between computer networks, the Internet system utilizes hardware and software devices called: bridges, routers, and gateways, all of which adapt the information being sent on one network to the operating and protocol requirements of the receiving network. For example; a gateway will connect, or xe2x80x9csplicexe2x80x9d a network operating on the Novell protocol to a network that operates on a DECnet or SNA protocol.
There are currently more than 10,000 computer networks that are linked together, worldwide, which together constitute the xe2x80x9cInternetxe2x80x9d. Because they do not all operate on the same operating system, and because of different protocols, the data sent from one host computer of one network to a receiving computer of another networkxe2x80x94which may be many thousands of miles away from the host computerxe2x80x94may take a relatively long time, since the gateways, bridges and routers must conform or adapt the protocol of the sending host computer to the receiving computer""s protocol.
In addition to the time-delays associated with protocol variances, the Internet when connecting to an end-user via Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS), has a maximum data-transmission capacity of 3.6 kbytes per second, which is not enough for sending video images in real time.
The Internet system utilizes two types of file-transfer protocols (FTP) for copying a file from a host computer to the receiving computer: ASCII and binary. An ASCII file is a text file, while every other kind of file is binary. ASCII files are transmitted in seven-digit ASCII codes, while the binary files are transmitted in binary code. Because all data stored in computer memory is stored in binary format, when one sends a file in the Internet, it is sent in binary format. However, as discussed above, owing to the data-transmission constraints imposed by the Internet system because of the differing operating systems, and a multitude of gateways, routers, and bridges, the file data must be sent out in packets of a size no greater than 1536 bytes. Since the size of just a thirty-second video may be as great as 2.5 megabytes, it may take up to one-half hour or more to send a thirty-second video over the Internet from a host computer to a receiving computer. Presently, there are compression techniques that compress the files in order to reduce this playback-time, which data is decompressed at the receiving computer. An example of such a system is VDOLive, manufactured by VDOnet Corp. of Santa Clara, Calif. However, these compression-systems still send the data in binary format, requiring packet-data sizes of no greater than 1536 bytes. Thus, even with these compression-systems, the length of time to receive a thirty-second video over the Internet after being buffered in the user""s computer is near real time, but is unstable, choppy and drops as much as 96% of the video data over a conventional phone line.
In the Internet, there is an electronic-mail delivery system called E-mail. The E-mail system utilizes addresses to direct a message to the recipient, with each address having a mailbox code and a daemon, with the mail box and daemon being separated by the symbol @. In the E-mail delivery system, all of the messages or xe2x80x9cmailxe2x80x9d are routed through selected routers and gateways, until it reaches what may be called a xe2x80x9cpost officexe2x80x9d that services the recipient to whom the electronic mail is to be delivered. The xe2x80x9cpost officexe2x80x9d is a local server. The need for these local xe2x80x9cpost officesxe2x80x9d is because there is every reason to assume that the recipient-computer, to which the mail is being sent, is either not powered up, or is performing a different task. Since most computers in the Internet are not multi-tasking machines, such as, for example, computers running on the DOS operating system, if such a computer be engaged in performing a task, it is not possible for it to receive the E-mail data at that time. Thus, the local xe2x80x9cpost officexe2x80x9d or server stores the message until such a time as it may be delivered to the end-user to whom it is intended.
In the E-mail system, there has really been only one format standard for Internet messages. A variation has been the MIME version, which stands for Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions, which defines a new header-field, which is intended for use to send non-text messages, such as multimedia messages that might include audio or images, by encoding the binary into seven-digit ASCII code. Before MIME, the limitation of E-mail systems was the fact that it would limit the contents of electronic mail messages to relatively short lines of seven-bit ASCII. This has forced users to convert any non-textual data that they may wish to send into seven-bit bytes representable as printable ASCII characters before invoking a local mail UA (User Agent, a program with which human users send and receive mail). Examples of such encodings currently used in the Internet include pure hexadecimal, uuencoded, the 3-in-4 base 64 scheme specified in RFC 1421, the Andrew Toolkit Representation [ATK], and many others. Even though a user""s UA may not have the capability of dealing with the non-textual body part, the user might have some mechanism external to the UA that can extract useful information from the body part. Moreover, it does not allow for the fact that the message may eventually be gatewayed back into an X.400 message handling system (i.e., the X.400 message is xe2x80x9ctunneledxe2x80x9d through Internet mail), where the non-textual information would definitely become useful again. With MIME, video and/or audio data may be sent using the E-mail system. MIME uses a number of header-fields, such as xe2x80x9cContent-Typexe2x80x9d header field, which can be used to specify the type and subtype of data in the body of a message and to fully specify the native representation (encoding) of such data; xe2x80x9ctextxe2x80x9d Content-Type value header field, which an be used to represent textual information in a number of character sets and formatted text description languages in a standardized manner; xe2x80x9cmulti-partxe2x80x9d Content-Type value, which can be used to combine several body parts, possibly of differing types of data, into a single message; xe2x80x9capplicationxe2x80x9d Content-Type value, which an be used to transmit application data or binary data, and hence, among other users, to implement an electronic mail file transfer service; xe2x80x9cmessagexe2x80x9d Content-Type value, for encapsulating another mail message; xe2x80x9cimagexe2x80x9d Content-Type value, for transmitting still image (picture) data; xe2x80x9caudioxe2x80x9d Content-Type value, for transmitting audio or voice data; xe2x80x9cvideoxe2x80x9d Content-Type value, for transmitting video or moving image data, possibly with audio as part of the composite video data format; xe2x80x9cContent-Transfer-Encodingxe2x80x9d header field, which can be used to specify an auxiliary encoding that was applied to the data in order to allow it to pass through mail transport mechanisms which may have data or character set limitations. Two additional header fields may be used to further describe the data in a message body: The xe2x80x9cContent-IDxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cContent Descriptionxe2x80x9d header fields.
However, there are considerable drawbacks and deficiencies in transmitting video images and/or audio data over the Internet using E-mail""s MIME. Firstly, there is often considerable time delays, such that it may take up to ten or more minutes to send a thirty-second video clip over the E-mail system. In times of high-traffic usage, the delay may even be more than ten minutes. Secondly, the video image or audio data cannot be viewed or listened to by the end-user, or recipient, until all of the data of the entire video or audio file has been received by the receiving computer, which, also, adds a considerable time lag to the actual viewing or listening. Thirdly, the end-user or recipient computer must have the necessary E-mail and MIME software for decoding the data. Fourthly, since MIME is an E-mail protocol system, the data is transmitted via the E-mail system, meaning that it is routed through one or more post offices and servers, which delay the transmission of the data, and which require that no other task be performed by the receiving computer if it is a single-tasking machine, like DOS-operating system machines. Fifthly, like all E-mail deliveries, the requisite E-mail software at the recipient computer must decode the encoded data received, and then cut-and-paste the data into a new file, such as NOTEPAD, which is time-consuming, before the new file is played back by a viewer or player.
It is the primary objective of the present invention to separate keys and data by providing a picture contained in a file or files on a Web Page accessable over the internet or intranet, having its informational data of picture, video and/or audio that is crippled, which data may only be read after it has been xe2x80x9cuncrippledxe2x80x9d by receiving xe2x80x9cuncripplingxe2x80x9d triggering data over the Internet from the end user""s computer. This xe2x80x9ckeyxe2x80x9d has been provided by the Web Page via a data download after the end user has met certain requirements set by the party controling the Web Page. The company""s host computer serving the Internet may transmit the xe2x80x9cuncripplingxe2x80x9d data over the Internet to an end-user""s receiving computer in order to uncripple and, thereby, actuate the crippled file contained on or accessable through the Web Page, so that the data thereon may be read by the end-user""s receiving computer only in volatile memory such as RAM.
It is another objective of the present invention to enable server control of the access to its files by providing the end user the key to the xe2x80x9ccrippledxe2x80x9d files accessable via the Web Page such that content by a company on the Internet may be better controlled, and whereby in conjunction with the content, video and/or audio playback may be combined with any updated, textual information, such as current price of a product or products, location of a store or stores in the vicinity of the end-user""s residence, etc. Specific tracks on the CD-ROM can thereby be controlled by the remote server.
It is another objective of the present invention to provide access to such xe2x80x9ccrippledxe2x80x9d files, whereby the end user computer is provided with Internet start-up and connecting program that automatically and directly connects the end-user""s computer to the company""s or content provider""s host server via the Internet, whereby, not only does such facilitate and encourage the connection of the end-user to the content provider""s web page, but also provides the content provider with valuable marketing information, such as the physical location of the caller, whereby selected information unique to that caller may be downloaded to him over the Internet, such as name and addresses of stores of the company or advertiser nearest to the caller, etc.
It is another objective of the present invention to provide such file imaging, with or without audio, such that the data representing the picture or video and/or audio is not accessable off the end-user""s computer, without first receiving the current xe2x80x9ckeyxe2x80x9d or de-crippling triggering data from the content provider""s host server (URL) being a trigger as small as a few bytes.
It is another objective of the present invention to allow by server permission only, the end-user the ability to store said trigger on non-volatile media for permanent ownership of said data.
It is also an objective of the invention to provide a software program in the end-user computer called a xe2x80x9ccatcherxe2x80x9d for catching the trigger data such as the file header, decoding it, and playing the file header data substantially xe2x80x9con the flyxe2x80x9d, so that the video and/or audio data on the CD-ROM may be played back on the end-user""s computer substantially immediately after having received the trigger data.
It is also an objective of the invention to store both the video files and the video player for playing the video files in encrypted form at the Web site associated with a server of the Internet or Intranet, which encrypted video files and video player are downloaded to a requesting computer having the software decryption keys for the encrypted video files and player, whereby the video files are protected from unauthorized playback or copying by screen-dumping and other such methods of capturing images.
Toward these and other ends, the method of the invention for transmitting the de-crippling triggering data for video and/or audio over the Internet consists of encoding the data representing critical information of the file keys such as the header of the picture/video/audio files accessible via the Web Page controlled by the Web Page provider, and transmitting that encoded key to a local server of the local web of the Internet serving the caller, or directly to an end-user""s computer. The local server may then establishes a point-to-point socket-connection between the transmitting, host computer, and the receiving or end-user computer. When the encoded key is received by the Web Page from the End user""s computer, the data is decoded and matched to the picture/video/audio files of accessable via the Web Page over the Internet, whereupon, since the data files now have an associated and complete header, the data thereof may be read, to thus allow the transmission or playback of the picture, video, or audio data on the end user""s comuter.
Since the encoded header data that is sent over the Internet is a necessity before the end-user may view or playback the picture/video/audio data obtained from the Web Page, the host computer may send along with the encoded data, additional information pertinent to the information contained in the encoded transmitted files, such as current prices, special offers or deals, locations of local stores or dealers, or any information that the host computer, content provider, would like the end-user to receive.
In order to encourage the end-user to view the picture/video/audio encoded files contained and accessable via the Web Page, the downloaded software may be provided with its own Internet dial-up program files for connecting to the host web server, so that very little time and effort is required on the part of the end-user.